Air and gas washer



1944- E. F. FISHER 2,354,674

AIR AND GAS WASHER Filed Nov. 27, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CLEAN A! ouT LET 1944- E. F, FISHER 2,354,674

AIR AND GAS WASHER Filed Nov. 27, 1.940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W FLM INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 1, 1944 UNITED STATES- PATENT orrlcs Application November 27, 1940, SerialNo. 367,312

7 Claims. (01. 261-21) This invention relates to'improvements, in air and gas washers and allied equipmentsuch as scrubbing towers, contact columns, absorption towers and the like. One object of my invention is to provide efficient means for more perfect and simultaneous contact of the gases to be treated or cleaned and the contact liquid with impingement surfaces located in the path of the gases being treated and to accomplish this re-- suit with a minimum of resistance to the flow of gases through through the device.

Heretofore in air and gas washers and contact columns of the type wherein the gases to be treated or cleaned are made to swirl in a spiral path through a succession of swirl producing vanes located between baffle plates and disc baflles, the washing'effect of the liquid has been gained mainly by passing the gas through a succession of cascades. or water falls formed by the liquid falling oil the edges of the baflle plates and disc bailies. Merely passing the air or gas through a water fall or cascade will not affect the air or gas materially except to remove the heavier fractions or dust particles because of the imperfect contact of the gas with the liquid. 1 have learned through costly experimentation that the gas to be treated, washed and cleaned must be impacted violently simultaneously with the con- .tact liquid against suitable impingement surfaces properly positioned in the path of the gases.

In certain types of air and gas washer or contact column employing baflie plates and battle discs ,wtih swirl producing vanes interposed therebetween, the vanes are not effective, their .ofi'lce being as their name indicates, merely swirl producing vanes. Great diiiiculty has beenexperienced with this type of .washer because of its troduce this washing liquid in the direction of flow of the air so that all of this liquid is impacted against the vanes simultaneously with the air. None is by-passed'; all the liquid must pass through the vanes with the air. This produces violent agitation and mixing of the air and liquid with direct impingement on the vanes. I

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improved washer and contact column;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification.

- To obtain a clear idea of the operation of my a conical bottom 3 and thence into outlet 22. The

inherent defect due to the failure of the washing or contact liquid to effectively wet and thoroughly wash the .surfaces of the. swirl producing vanes. Due to this inability to effectually wet and wash these vanes, dust accumulates on these vanes to such an extent as to plug up the spaces between the vanes and to render the washer inoperative-after prolonged use. V

It was to correct these obvious-defects that I have employed in my improved air and gas washer more effective means to impact the dust laden air and liquid simultaneously on the wanes and at a point where the highest angular velocity of the-air and :water obtains-right at the entrance of theswirl producing varies and directly underneath the disc baflle, and therefore at the top of the vanes as well as atthe middle and wer portions thereof. I also'inpartially cleaned gas continues to swirl upward through tube 2| and because of the high angular velocity of the air swirl through this tube some of the remaining dust is thrown ,out by centrifugal force aginst the inside of tube 2| andis washed down y the downcoming liquid. This washing liquid enters the top of the washer in casing 2b through supply pipe IS. The air continues to swirl upward through vanes l=fl .interposed between the baiile ring 6 and disc baflie 1 carrying with it the liquid as it falls ofl edge of distributing or spreader disc I! attachedto underside of inverted conical disc baflle 'l by means of lugs l4. The distributing plates and I2 have their peripheral edges spaced a substantial distance inwardly from the vanes 9 and I0 and are located respectively at the vortex of each of the cyclonic swirls indicated by the'arrows directly below. plates II and H. The tangential air inlet 2|! creates a cyclonic swirl on the inside as well as the outside of 2|, as'indic'ated by the arrows, andin the zone surrounded by the vanes III, as indicated by thearrow below plate l2. The

- angular vanes l0 create a cyclonic swirl in the 9 and I0, keeping these vanesplar of dust" that tends toaccumulate thereon. Liquid is supplied to distributing disc l2 from inverted conical disc baiile I through drainage hole H in the center of disc baflle I. This is the liquid that enters the top of the washer through supply pipe I5 which terminates in pipe [6. The spreader disc eliminators 18 into chamber i1 and thence out through clean air outlet l9. After passing through vanes 9 the liquid impinges on wall of casing 21) and then falls onto ring baflie 5 and thence flows to inverted conical disc bafiie 1 from which it drains through hole 1-! onto liquid distributing disc I2 thence against and across vanes l0 and against the inner wall of casing 2a and I so on down to the final sludge outlet 22 as described.

Fig. 4 shows aslight modification where fresh washing liquid is supplied to the central drainage opening of each disk baffle. In this form of the invention, liquid is supplied to the upper disk baflie through the pipe l5 and to the whirling zone just outside the cylinder 2| by a pipe 4, all as in Fig. 1. Additional clean washing liquid is supplied to any intermediate disk bafiles as by the pipe I511. 1 e

Although this invention has been described in connection with details of specific embodiments thereof, it is not intended that such details shall be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention and where the words gas or air are used, it will be understood that such terms are to be used in their broad sense and include all vapors and gases as Well as, air.

' I claim:

1. In an air cleaner, a vertically positioned.

casing, a disc bafiie centrally positioned insaid casing and spaced from the walls thereof, provided with a central liquid drainage opening, said disc baffle sloping downwardly and inwardly to said drainage opening, a baflle ring below the disc baflie and contacting the walls of the casing, the inner edge of the battle ring defining a large central opening, vertically placed vanes positioned between the respective outer and inner portions of'the disc baflle and the baille ring, and a spreader plate positioned directly below said liquid drainage opening for laterally spreading downflowing liquid from said opening and directing it over said vanes and into the aircurrents flowing outwardly therethrough, means for supplying liquid above the disc baflle, and means for supplying impure air at the lower part of the casing.

2. In an air cleaner, a vertically positioned casing, a disc baflle centrally positioned in said casing and spaced from the walls thereof, and provided with a central liquid drainage opening, said disc baflle sloping downwardly and inwardly to said drainage opening, a baflle ring below the disc baiile and contacting the walls of the casing,

the inner edge of the baiiie ring defining a large central opening, the respective outer and inner edges of the disc baille and baflle ring being in overlapping relationship, vertically placed swirling vanes positioned between the overlapping ly below said liquid portions of the disc bafile and baiiie ring a 'spreader plate positioned directly below said liquid drainage opening for laterally spreading downflowingliquid from said open-ing and directing it over said swirling vanes and into the aircurrents flowing outwardly therethrough, means for supplying liquid above the disc baflle, and means for supplying impure air at the lower part of the casing.

3. In an air cleaner, a vertically positioned casing, a disc baflle centrally positioned in said casing and spaced from the walls thereof, and provided with a central liquid drainage opening, said disc baffle sloping downwardly and inwardly to said drainage opening, a bafile ring below the disc bailie and contacting the walls of the casing, the inner edge of the bafiie ring defining a large central opening, vertically placed swirling vanes positioned between the respective outer and inner portions of the discbaflle and the baffle ring, a spreaderplate positioned directly below said liquid drainage opening for laterally spreading downfiowing liquid from said opening and directing it over said swirling vanes and into theaircurrents flowing outwardly therethrough, means for supplying liquid above the disc baflie, means for supplying impure air at the lower part of the casing, means, including a vertically-positioned open-ended cylinder in the bottom of the casing, for forming a tangential air inlet zone, and means for supplying a liquid sprayin said air inlet zone.

4. In an air cleaner, a vertically positioned casing, a disc bafile centrally positioned in said casing and spaced from the walls thereof, and provided with a central liquid drainage opening, said disc baiile sloping dowwardly and inwardly to said drainage opening, a baffle ring below the disc bafile and contacting the walls of the casing, the inner edge of the baflle ring defining a. large central opening, said baffle ring sloping downwardly and inwardly for guiding liquid from the casing wall to its inner edge, over which it discharges into said large central opening, vertically placed vanes positioned between the respective outer and inner portions of the disc baflle and the baffle ring, a spreader plate positioned directdrainag'e opening for laterally spreading downflowing liquid from said opening and directing it over said vanes and into the aircurrents flowing outwardly therethrough, means for supplying liquid above the disc bafile, and means for supplying impure air at the lower part of the casing.

5. An air cleaner, comprising a vertically positioned casing, an open ended cylinder vertically positioned in the lower part of said casing, a. first ring battle at the upper edge of said cylinder, defining, together with said cylinder, an annular swirling space, means for spraying liquid into said annular swirling space, a second ring baflle above the first ring baflle, disk baflles, provided with central liquid discharge apertures, positioned respectively above and below said second ring baiile, said disc baflies being larger than the 1 openings in the ring baflles and overlapping them, angularly placed vanes positioned between the overlapping portions of each ring baflie, and the disc bafile just above it, a liquid spreader plate directly below the central liquid discharge aperture of each disc baflie, means for supplying liquid to the central aperture in the uppermost disc baflle, which liquid is collected by the second ring b'aflie and directed to-the central aperture in the disc baille below it, said spreader plates serving to direct liquid delivered from the central apertures in their respective baflles, into and through said angular vanes, the liquid from the first ring bathe passing into the upper end of said open ended cylinder.

6. An air cleaner comprising a vertically positioned casing, a ring bal'fle having its outer edge contacting the casing, a concentrically positioned solid disc ballle larger than the opening in the ring baflle so as to overlap the inner portion thereof and cover the opening in the ring baflle, vertically positioned angularly placed vanes between the overlapping portions of the solid disc baflle and ring bafile, a liquid spreading plate substantially smaller than the hole in the ring 'baflle and positioned directly below and concentric with the solid disc baflle for confining liquid between itself and the solid disc baflle and for directingliquid laterally into and over the entire surfaces of said angularly spaced vanes, and a liquid spreading plate.

7. An air cleaner comprising a vertically positioned casing, a ring bailie having its outer edge contacting the casing, a concentrically positioned solid disc baflle larger than the opening in the ring baflle so as to overlap the inner portion thereof and cover completely the opening in the ring ballle, vertically positioned. angularly placed vanes between the overlapping portions of the solid disc baflle and ring baflle, means for creating a cyclonic swirl in the zone surrounded by said angular vanes, a liquid spreading plate below the solid disc baflle and substantially smaller than the hole in the ring baflle and positioned in the ERNEST F. FISHER; 

